Automobile window construction



Aug. 17, 1037. 1 HO T E 2,090,048 AUTOMOBILE WINDOW CONSTRUCTION I I 2Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 1, 1935 INV 1 0R5," W ATTORNEYS,

Aug. 17, 1937. T. w. HOLT ET AL AUTOMOBILE WINDOW CONSTRUCTION FiledApril 1, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \"FNTfRS 1 TTUR NEYS.

Patented Aug. 17, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT Thomas W. Holt and John F.Levan, Elkhart,

Ind., assignors to Excel Curtain Company, Elkhart, Ind, a corporation ofDelaware Application April 1,

7 Claims.

This invention relates to window constructions, and particularly toconstructions used in motor vehicles where the window is raised andlowered into and out of a well in the door, or in the car body, and moreparticularly to a construction wherein an essential part of the guidemechanism for guiding the window sash into and out of the well, andholding it from undue edgewise movement, and other movements, that is,movements other than the up and down movement, is located in the wellbetween the side edges of the sash.

It has for its object, a particularly compact, rigid, support for acarriage, or follower, movable along the guide in the well, and also asimple and firm construction by which the support is rigidly secured tothe bottom rail of the sash, and rigidly supports .the carriage, ortraveler, throughout the length of the carriage, or traveler.

It further has for its object, a particularly simple and economicalconstruction of the carriage, or traveler, for coacting with the channelshaped guide, and for holding the carriage, or

traveler, from looseness in the guide.

The invention consists in the novel features and after set forth andclaimed.

' :In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in allthe views.

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly broken away and partly in section, of asash embodying our invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on lines 22, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary, edge View of parts seen in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, vertical, transverse, sectional View throughan automobile door body showing the location of the guide for the sash,

and the position of the sash and the carriage, or traveler, movable inthe guide. 1 Figures 5 and 6 are respectively a face view, partly insection, and an end view of the channel shaped guide and associatedparts.

This invention comprises generally, a bracket secured to the sash andhaving a portion extending along the bottom rail thereof, and located inthe plane of the sash, and a carriage, or traveler, secured to thebracket and movable along the guide inthe well, the carriage beingrigidly supported by the bracket throughout the length of .the carriageand located out of the plane of the sash. The bracket also having means,as a prong, lapping one of the stiles of the sash and secured in thecombinations and constructions herein-' 1935, Serial No. 14,078

thereto, whereby the sash seats in a corner formed by the prong and theportion of the bracket which extends along the lower edge of the bottomrail.

I designates the sash generally, it including a 5 bottom rail 2, stiles3, top rail 4, and glass pane held thereby, although some of these sashmembers may be omitted.

In the construction here shown, one of the stiles is provided with avertical extension 5 which runs in a suitable guide in the well, and isprovided with spring pressed compression devices 5, 1, coacting with theguide in which it runs. This, however, per se, forms no part of thisinvention.

H designates the bracket, this being here shown as triangular in generalform and having a portion l2 which extends along the bottom rail of thesash and which is secured thereto in any suitable manner, as by rivetsl3, an upright portion l4, and an inclined or brace portion l5connecting the lower end of the upright portion l4 and the outer end ofthe portion l2. The bracket is also formed with an angular prong I6extending into the end of the adjacent stile 3, and secured therein inany suitable manner, as by screws H. The stile 3, and the other sashframe members, are formed hollow, usually of sheet metal, and with asuitable groove for receiving the glass pane. The prong l6 extends intothe end of the, hollow stile outside of the bottom of the glass, and issecured to the botom of the glass groove by the screws ll, Figure 1.Thus, the prong I6 is located within the widthwise dimension of thestile. The sash frame thus seats in the angle formed by the prong andthe horizontal portion [2 of the bracket, and when the horizontalportion l2 and the prong are secured in position by the rivets l3, andthe screws ll, the sash and the bracket are rigidly secured together, sothat the sash, in its up and down movement, is guided and held fromedgewise, and other movements, by a guide means inset from one of theside edges of the sash. This is particularly advantageous in windowswhich are raised and lowered into and out of a well where the well is ofsuch shape that its lower corner is obstructed by a curved wall, due toa curve of the fender of the automobile, or motor vehicle.

The bottom rail 2 is also formed hollow and demountable from the stilesto permit the replacement of the glass. It is secured to the stiles, inthe illustrated form of the invention, by a member extending lengthwiseof the hollow bottom rail and secured at its ends to the base of theprong I6 and to the stile 3 on the opposite side of the sash. Thismember is shown as a tie bolt or screw 1 8 threading at l9 at one endinto the base of the prong l6, and having a sleeve screw 28' threadingon the opposite end, the sleeve extending through the stile, with itshead 2| thrusting against the bottom of a countersink in the outer faceof the stile. In the sash here shown, the stiles 3 and top rail 4 are inthe general form of an inverted U, with the exception that usually oneof the sides of the U formation, thatis, one of the stiles is inclineddownward and outward out of the vertical, and the bottom rail 2 isclamped by the member l8 between the stiles. The screw i8 is thus ascrew extending between the stiles lengthwise of the bottom rail, andhaving threaded connection with at least one of the stiles. The tie rodenables the outside dimension specified for the width of the sash to beheld to a very small tolerance. By tightening the sleeve screw 20, theadjustment to the proper dimension can be made, and any projection ofthe tie rod beyond the outer end, or head, of the sleeve screw can becut ofi.

22 designates the channel shaped guide, this being rigidly secured inany suitable manner within the well, as shown in Figure 4. This guide ischannel shaped in cross section, as seen in Figure 6, and the margins 23of the side walls of the channel overhang the bottom thereof. Also, aspring pressed track 24 is mounted in the channel along one sidethereof, it being spring pressed inwardly by springs 25 encircling studs26 on the track, these studs extending through embossments 21 on oneside of the channel, as seen in Figure 5. The track, per se, forms nopart of this invention, and the general construction and combination ofthe track, channel shaped guide, and carriage, or traveler, locatedbetween the side edges of the window sash, form the subject matter ofour Patent No. 1,997,865.

29 designates the carriage, or traveler, movable in the guide channell8, this consisting of a suitable body, and rollers 30, 3|, mounted inthe body and projecting beyond opposite side edges thereof, pairs ofrollers being located near the upper and lower ends of the body, and therollers 30 projecting beyond one side edge coacting with one side wallof the channel 22, and the rollers 3| projecting beyond the other sideedge coacting with the spring pressed track. The carriage is alsoprovided with wear strips for engaging the bottom of the channel 22 andthe overhanging margins, 23.

The body of the carriage 29., as here illustrated,

comprises a base plate 32, and a superposed plate 33 having its endportions 34 oiTset, and its intermediate portion overlying and securedto the base plate 32, the overhanging portions forming pockets in whichare located the rollers 30, 3|. The axles for these rollers are balls 35seated partly in sockets formed in the plate 32 and in the offsetportions 34 of the plate 33, and in axial sockets in the rollers.

The carriage also includes wear plates 36 and 31 on opposite sides ofthe carriage 29, one of these being resilient and as here shown, the oneoverlying the plate 33, with the oiiset ends 34, is formed withresilient end portions. These wear plates engage respectively the bottomof the channel, and the overhanging margins 23, and tend to thrust thecarriage, or hold the carriage from movement in a direction at a rightangle to the plane of the sash, while the spring pressed track acting onthe rollers holds the carriage and the sash-from edgewise cockingmovement. The

wear strip 31 conforms generally to the plate 33 with the offset ends34, and is secured thereto between its ends, or between the ofisets, sothat its end portions are resilient, or capable of reacting under itsresiliency. The wear plate 36 lies flatwise against the outer side ofthe plate 32. The carriage 29 is rigidly secured to the upright portionM of the bracket l I throughout its length, in any suitable manner, asby screws 38, 39, located near the upper and lower ends of the carriage,and at the intermediate portion of the carriage 29. The upright portionis here shown as formed with bosses on which the carriage 29 bears atthe points the screws are located.

The sash is provided with suitable means, not shown, for raising andlowering it. This means may be of any well known construction andincludes followers which work in a suitable groove 4!] depending fromthe bottom rail of the sash.

Owing to the bracket construction, the guiding mechanism for, the sash,located between the side edges of the sash, is particularly simple,light, and rigid, and the bracket, owing to its construction, is rigidlysecured to a light sash without straining the sash, and also rigidlysupports the carriage, or traveler, throughout the length thereof,avoiding distortion, or play, of the carriage out of alinement duringthe raising and lowering of the sash, so that the carriage can be fittedin the guide without looseness in any direction.

What we claim is:

1. In an automobile window construction, a body formed with a well, awindow sash movable into and out of the well, out of and into closedposition and including a bottom rail, and means located in the wellbetween the side edges of the sash for guiding the sash in its movement,said means comprising a guide in the well and offset from the path ofthe sash, a rigid bracket secured to the bottom rail thereof and belowthe bottom rail, and located in the plane of the sash, and a carriagemovable along the guide and having means coacting with the guide atspaced apart points on each longitudinal edge of the carriage near theupper and lower ends of the carriage, the bracket bracing the carriageat said points, and spring means for holding the carriage in snugengagement with the guide at said spaced apart points.

2. In an automobile window construction, a body formed with a well, awindow sash movable into and out of the well, out of and into closedposition, and means located in the Well between the side edges of thesash for guiding the sash in its movement, said guide means including achannel shaped guide in the well and offset out of the path of the sash,the margins of the side walls of the channel overhanging the bottomthereof, a carriage sup-ported from the bottom rail of the sash andoiiset from the .plane of the sash, the carriage being movable in thechannel and comprising opposing plates formed with pockets between them,rollers mounted in the pockets and projecting beyond the side edges ofthe plates, and wear strips on the front and rear sides of the carriage,the rollers coacting with the side walls of the guide means, and thewear strips with the bottom and the overhanging margins of the channel.

3. In an automobile window construction, a body formed with a well, awindow sash movable into and out of the well, out of and into closedposition, and means located in the well between the side edges of thesash for guiding the sash in its movement, said guide means including achannel shaped guide in the well and offset out of the path of the sash,the margins of the side walls of the channel overhanging the bottomthereof, a carriage supported from the bottom rail of the sash andoffset from the plane of the sash, the carriage being movable in thechannel and comprising opposing plates formed with pockets between them,rollers mounted in the pockets and projecting beyond the side edges ofthe plates, and a resilient wear strip on one side of the carriage, therollers coacting with the side walls of the guide means, and the wearstrip pressing against the channel in a direction parallel to the with awell, a window sash movable into and out of the well, out of and intoclosed position, and means located in the well between the side edges ofthe sash for guiding the sash in its movement, said guide meansincluding a channel in the well, and having the margins of its sidewalls overhanging the bottom of the channel, a carriage carried by thesash and movable in the guide means, the carriage having rollersextending beyond the side edges thereof and coacting with the side wallsof the guide means, and wear plates on opposite sides of the carriagefor coacting with the bottom of the channel and the overhanging marginsof the side walls.

5. In a window construction, a body formed with a well, a window sashmovable into and out of the well, out of and into closed position, andmeans located in the well between the side edges of the sash for guidingthe sash in its movement, said giude means including a guide in the formof a channel in the well, and having the margins of its side wallsoverhanging the bottom of the channel, a carriage carried by the sashand movable in the guide means, the carriage having rollers extendingbeyond the side edges thereof and coacting with the side walls of theguide means, and wear plates on opposite sides of the carriage forcoacting with the bottom of the channel and the overhanging margins ofthe side walls, one of said wear plates having resilient portions forholding the carriage from looseness in the channel.

6. In a window construction, a body formed with a well, a window sashmovable into and out of the well, out of and into closed position, andmeans located in the well between the side edges of the sash for guidingthe sash in its movement, said guide means including a guide in the formof a channel in the well, and having the margins of its side wallsoverhanging the bottom of the channel, a carriage carried by the sashand movable in the guide means, the carriage having rollers extendingbeyond the side edges thereof and coacting with the side walls of theguide means, and wear plates on opposite sides thereof for coacting withthe bottom of the channel and the overhanging margins of the side walls,one of said wear plates having resilient portions for holding thecarriage from looseness in the channel, and spring means thrusting in adirection edgewise of the channel and the carriage for holding thecarriage from looseness.

7. In a Window construction, a body formed with a well, a window sashmovable into and out of the well, and out of and into closed position,and means located in the well between the side edges of the sash forguiding the sash in its movement, said guide means including a guide inthe form of a channel, a carriage supported by the sash and movable inthe channel, and comprising a base plate, a second plate mounted on thebase plate and secured thereto and having oflset end portions formingpockets, rollers mounted in the pockets and projecting beyond the sideedges of the plates for coacting with the side walls of the guide means.

THOMAS W. HOLT. JOHN F. LEVAN.

